This 30-minute spicy tomato sauce is packed with delicious tomatoes, herbs, spices, and spicy crushed red pepper flakes. It tastes great over pasta, on top of pizza, or used as a dipping sauce.

Spicy tomato sauce (arrabbiata sauce) is the perfect addition to your summer menu. It’s perfectly seasoned with just the right spice, making it great on pizza, as a dip with crusty focaccia bread, or spooned over perfectly cooked pasta.

I should point out this is NOT A CANNING RECIPE. I’m not yelling at you when I say that. I’m just ensuring you understand that I did not develop this recipe for canning purposes.

That requires knowing specific acidic levels, processing time, etc. However, if you want a delicious shelf-stable canned tomato sauce, try my Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce.

This recipe is great to make and store in the fridge for all your weekly tomato sauce needs. It also freezes beautifully, so you can freeze half if you feel like doubling the recipe.

Want more tomato sauce recipes? Try my Roasted Tomato Sauce!

Ingredients needed

• Canned, peeled whole tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Diced yellow onion
• Garlic
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Italian seasoning
• Tomato paste
• Fresh basil
• Kosher salt

How to make spicy tomato sauce

What I love most about this sauce is that it is cooked in just 30 minutes! That means you can have your own delicious spicy tomato sauce warm on the stove in less time than it would take to run to the store.

1. Add olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and saute onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.
2. Add in your tomato paste and stir to combine.
3. Pour in tomatoes, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and fresh basil.
4. Simmer over medium heat, breaking up the tomatoes as they simmer, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has reached the desired thickness.
5. Use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Substitutions and adaptations

This recipe is simple, which is what I love most, but if you’re looking to change things up, here are a few ideas:

• Use fresh Roma tomatoes instead of canned ones. If your garden is overflowing with tomatoes, you can easily use them here! You’ll need about ten tomatoes to equal 24 ounces. The tomatoes will need to be peeled, and you’ll want to add crushed tomatoes or liquid to help the tomatoes start to break down. Canned tomatoes have a lot more liquid in the can.
• Fresh hot peppers such as serrano can be used instead of dried crushed red pepper flakes.
• A spoonful of Calabrian chili paste is also excellent for added heat and flavor.
• Add cooked and browned Italian sausage or ground beef for a protein-packed meat sauce.

FAQ’s

Storage and leftovers

Leftover sauce can be cooled and stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

To freeze, add to a freezer-safe container, leave at least an inch of space at the top, add your lid, and freeze for up to 3 months. Glass containers can shatter in the freezer, so I recommend Tupperware plastic containers or old Chinese takeaway soup containers.

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